NADRA, passport offices to open in 30 countries

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minster Rehman Malik on Saturday announced to open National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) and passport offices in 30 countries within six months to facilitate overseas Pakistanis. He was chairing a high-level meeting held to discuss the issues of overseas Pakistanis with regard to Computerised National Identity Cards and passports.

The meeting was attended by the interior secretary, the passport director general, NADRA deputy chairman, Islamabad chief commissioner, National Crisis Management Cell director general and other officials concerned. The minister said that around 86 Pakistan embassies did not have NADRA and passport offices.

He said that in the next two months, passport offices would be opened in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Holland, New Zealand, Bradford, Manchester and Birmingham. “Overseas Pakistanis will also have the facility of machine readable passports at these offices,” he said. He said NADRA and passport offices would also be set up in five states of the United Arab Emirates.

He said instructions had also been issued to set up a NADRA office in Dammam, besides doubling the staff at Jeddah and Riyadh offices. He said that due to the personal efforts of the president and the prime minister, the Saudi government had allowed Pakistani citizens to travel on manual passports until 2015. Rehman Malik said instructions had also been issued to restore the facility of Pakistan Origin Card for the wives of overseas Pakistanis. Similarly, he said directions had been issued to ensure mobile office facility of NADRA in far-flung areas of the country, particularly of Balochistan and Sindh.